The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Augusta, GA on August 1-2 for the College Prep Series at Augusta State. Forest Hills Golf Club, the home of the Augusta State Jaguars, was ready for the field of 53 junior golfers under the hot Georgia sun. Both tournament rounds began right on time at 8:00am, as the players looked to get an early start to beat the heat. Trophy winners in all four divisions received an invitation to the 2015 HJGT National Championship. Additionally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup. Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings and SCJGA Points were also at stake.
The Boys 15-18 Division would feature excellent play from the top finishers, highlighted by the performance of Ryan Hines. Hines, of Woodstock, GA, would string together two rounds of stellar golf to triumph over a very strong field. His back to back 71s put him at 2-under overall, good for the best score of the weekend across all divisions. Hines’ 10 birdies would lead his age group and his respective 3.0, 4.0, and 4.8 averages on par 3s, 4s, and 5s, would be good for first or second in each category. Second place in the field came to a tie between Augusta, GA’s Michael Stallings and Newnan, GA’s Carson Whitton. Each player reached his 36-hole total of 149 differently, with Whitton playing two consistent rounds of golf (74-75) and Stallings rebounding to jump toward the top of the leaderboard (77-72). Congratulations to Ryan Hines on his fantastic weekend at Forest Hills!
Teresa Conroy would earn her first win of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour season at the College Prep Series at Augusta State with her wire-to-wire victory. The Tallahassee, FL native would enter the final round of play with a two stroke lead and never look back, matching her Saturday 77 to finish at 154 (+10 overall). Her closest competition entering Sunday’s round was Savannah Szozda, of Kingston, TN. Szozda, however would falter after starting out just two shots back from the leader. Her final round 83 would cause her to fall to 3rd place after a charge from Tyler Dawson (85-74-159) would propel the up-and-comer into second place. Conroy would lead the field with 6 birdies on the weekend and used the par 3s at Forest Hills to her advantage, averaging just 2.8 strokes on those holes. Congratulations to Teresa Conroy on her first HJGT win of 2015!
The Boys 13-14 Division would never be in doubt, with Gage Smith rolling to a commanding victory. Although he had a slight misstep late on the first day (double-bogey on 16), Smith was still able to squeeze out a 76 and build a 5 stroke lead over his competition after the opening round. He would return with a vengeance for Sunday’s final round and attack the course from the beginning. He would go 2-under through his first 6 holes and finish with a round of 71, good for +3 overall. His final round assault included 3 birdies (6 total), 13 pars, and scoring averages of 3.4, 4.0, and 4.9 on par 3s, 4,s and 5s, respectively. Colin Trahan, of North Augusta, SC, would finish in second place, with a total score of 160. Congratulations to Gage Smith on his win at the College Prep Series at Augusta State!
The Girls 11-14 Division provided excellent entertainment, as Peyton Gillespie, of Greenville, SC, and Kendall Smith, of Martinez, GA, went back and forth in Sunday’s final pairing of the tournament. The girls entered the final round tied at 78 and wasted no time getting the action started. Smith would quadruple-bogey the opening hole to set herself back, but Gillespie would not be able to capitalize. In fact, after some mistakes from Gillespie and an impressive 3 birdies in 8 holes from Smith, Smith would find herself with a 5-stroke lead at the turn. Again, however, she would slip with a double-bogey to open the door for her opponent. Finally, Smith’s lead would be 3 stokes with 2 holes to play. Smith would hit a wonderful approach shot on the par 5 17th, placing the ball mere feet from the cup, and knock down her eagle putt to put the nail in the coffin. The girls would finish with total scores of 152 and 158 after their battle. Congratulations to Kendall Smith on her triumph at Forest Hills Golf Club! Weather: Day 1: Low 76. High 95. Sunny Skies. Wind 5-10mph Day 2: Low 72. High 92. Sunny Skies. Wind 5-10mph Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,788 yards Boys 13-14: 6,232 yards Girls 15-18: 5,733 yards Girls 11-14: 5,166 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intent of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of five age divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the 2015 HJGT Tour, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org Experience #TheHurricaneDifference